Most Expensive, Legal Pets in America: Yours to Own, from $800 to $138,000

For those who seek the exotic, unusual and lavish, these pets can help fulfill that desire while adding to one's status symbol. These furry, feathered and scaly companions come in various sizes and are widely diverse in difficulty of care.

Ranging in price from approximately $800 to $138,000, all of these pets are legal in the United States, however, they may be limited to only certain states, counties, or cities. Each of these pets may require specialty food or care that needs to be carefully researched before obtaining them. Some may even require special licensing. It is critical to find out all of this information, as well as to verify there is a local vet willing and able to handle such an animal before taking on an exotic pet.

FELINE FRIENDS

First on the list is the Bengal Cat, which is a cross between a common domestic cat and an Asian Leopard cat. The resulting animal only weighs in around 10 lbs, and is said to be highly domesticated. The price tag for this exotic-looking housecat? Somewhere between $800 to $3,000.

White Lion Cubs. Though their white fur may give the impression, these cute animals are not albino. Priced at about $138,000, these adorable animal babies do grow up to be over 300 lbs of muscle, teeth, and claws needing to eat approximately 20 lbs. of food a day. A few resources about keeping a big cat as a pet may be found in this article, "Should Lions and Tigers Be Kept as Pets?" These animals need an environment which mimics their natural habitat with plenty of acreage to roam, and plenty of water to drink and swim in.

If your living quarters are not large enough to accommodate an exotic pet such as a lion, why not try this hybrid cat? The Ashera Cat is a mix of the average house cat and the more exotic serval and leopard. This $22,000 cat comes from Lifestyle pets of California; however, there is some debate that this cat is really just a less expensive Savannah Cat.